Decision List

THE DROUGHT IN CALIFORNIA IS SERIOUS--LUCKILY SOME ONE DID IT BY THE NUMBERS & PICTUREs

2015-06-01T01:03:00.001-07:00

CALIFORNIA'S WATER DISASTER IS SERIOUS SO, THE DODO DREW PICTURES

Sometimes it is better to visualize a problem. The California drought is one of those phenomenon that defies the imagination. A whole state without water... Well yes.

THE DROUGHT IS SERIOUS

2015-05-31T19:00:00.000-07:00

This starts a new series on water, one of the most pressing issues in California, and conservation one of the most pressing issues for the planet.

We all know that it is BIG AGRICULTURE is the largest consumer of water in the state of California. They have pledged to lower their water usage by 25%. Reasonable goal, how about you? You and your family can always be more conscious of your water usage. Like recycling it can become a habit. If you live in California or any of the states in the South Western US read some tips from the San Diego Union-Tribune. Reusing wasted water, replanting lawn areas there are millions of possibilities. Here are 33.

33 ways you can start saving water now

CONTINUITY

2015-05-31T18:06:00.000-07:00

Our ancestors give us continuity. Being in touch with them helps us uncover who we are. In a fast moving mobile society it is easy to loose a sense of a connection to the threads of our tapestry as the land is torn apart to make towns and shopping malls and the roads that connect them. Rediscover your rich past reinvison how you got here. Practice gratitude for those who brought you this far...

1/2/1949-5/20/2015

For my friend Michael Lange:

Through the eyes of the Sphinx
Shape shifter
Immortal
Spirit dancer
World bringer
Life shaper
Word giver
Through the eyes of the Sphinx
Lion man
ReEnactor
River walker
Horse rider
Outlaw
Child saver
Through the eyes of the Sphinx
Incorporator
Love bringer
People Lifter
Nation builder
Old soul
Deep thinker
Through the eyes of the Sphinx
Translator
Law giver
Nat Turner
Malcolm
Imhotep
Reunited
Through the eyes of the Sphinx
Forward looking
Exceptional
Nonparallel
Dream magician
Warrior
Sprit Lifer
Michael Lange

Latyrx - Gorgeous Spirits (Aye, Let's Go!) ft. Lateef the Truthspeaker, ...

2014-11-15T03:44:00.001-08:00

GET DOWN WITH THE TOWN

Roy L. Clay Sr.: How a Silicon Valley tech pioneer came close to being Michael Brown

2014-08-29T17:02:00.001-07:00

READ THE ARTICLE

Mr. Clay

Thank you so much for this article.

First it might help to know I am an African American male. In my late teens I was taken to the edge of town and dropped off here in California. Something strange to have in common with someone.

As part of my 40 years in media production, I spent about 10-15 in Silicon Valley working in various capacities for Oracle, Tandem, Compaq, HP and Apple Computer. My biggest thrill during this period was I got to experience the transformation of media creation from inside of the companies that were inspiring it. After the downturn of 2000 I returned to full time broadcasting. My final job was Digital Master Control Operator at KQED. I was riding the wave of disruption in television. I went from being a graveyard operator of two stations to a prime time operator of six.

It is hard to describe to anyone not in our business my amusement when one day when our server crashed I was talking to our vendors customer service, they told me to, what else, reboot As the system came up instead of our vendors logo and the shell of the app, we came up first in Oracle. What appeared to be a Windows app was in fact running on top of a hidden Oracle D/B. Oracle my last and largest client was the guts of the software that ran the stations that I had responsibility for—Small world. Why not Oracle they did huge mission critical databases and ours was huge. But MY mission? Who knew? I had completely forgotten that Oracle had a room on our floor in the late 90's testing the feasibility of multi-channel operation.

For my work in the valley I had various video roles, producer, director, production manager and more. In the final years of my companies’ operation we did distance learning, customer profiles, teleconferences, and instructional video. I was described by several people independently from each other as a “chameleon” both for being able to blend in and to adapt to the situation at hand. My main goal of course was feeding my family a goal that I took seriously. I tried never to let my pride get in my way.

Many black people have helped me in my career and I have made it my job to reciprocate where I could by bringing on young blacks as apprentices. I have had many successes helping them focus on what they were really skilled at. My brother once told me to always show up so that you could maximize your possibilities.

Your article moved me because even though I wasn't in the first wave of blacks in technical positions, I was in the wave that leapt through the door when it had been cracked. Sir I applaud you for taking a stand on this topic in such a clear and reasoned way. I have two grand children who mean the world to me and I fear greatly that they could easily end up a statistic or a blip in he news cycle. I realize as a business person you could actually suffer from covert racism by taking such a clear stand. Rather it seems you chose to paint a clear allegory that caused one to think in an existential way, when a life is not allowed to grow to full maturity what could it have matured into. This theme also struck me when watching “Fruitvale Station.” If Oscar Grant had lived what would have become of his life?

I believe that your article was aimed at the majority culture rather than like minded people. This for me was one of the most refreshing things. The tendency to talk to the echo chamber rather than throw down the gauntlet and take a clear reasoned position is remarkable these days.

Folks in my generation (I am 63) grew up in a time where the Civil Rights Movement had broken the stranglehold on opportunity. I was afforded the rewards because of the struggles of people before me. I knew a great many of the black men who were the first to work in the broadcast industry in the Bay Area. They broke down the barriers to the admission of blacks because they were exemplars. To a person they were competent, hard working, disciplined and courageous.

Perhaps you are still wondering why I have written all of this. I wanted to say to you directly not only am I proud of your achievements but I honor you as one of the trailblazers in our industry. My time in Silicon Valley was spent primarily working in the “picks and shovels” end I let others pan for gold. I provided a good service at a fair price. But even that was because of men like you who were able to turn insults into opportunity, and no into yes. Just so you know there are many of us out here who owe you a very serious debt. I for one am recently retired with a solid financial base.

Here is my take home. The statistics of black participation in the strongholds of the valley and other tech centers—Boston metro area, or Austin are pitiful. We all must do what we can. I have been encouraging those in the Oakland area to get their kids to participate in STEM programs. Like in boxing you have to have the basic tools to make it through a multi round fight. I have partnered with a Tech Salon in Oakland called Tech Liminal they have put together several programs for young girls. Your article has caused me to wonder if there isn’t more that can be done. I got my start at KQED TV in a training program called TEACH. 40/per week for a year. Who knows when I settle into retirement I may give something like that a try.

Thank you Sir

Respectfully

Frederick Douglass Perry

to find out more about me

OR PERISH AS FOOLS

2014-07-25T17:28:00.000-07:00

Post by Joaquin Osoluna.

TEACH PEACE

2014-07-25T01:08:00.000-07:00

It has always amazed me that the Arabic and Hebrew words for PEACE sound alike. Salam and Shalom. Though this is not an original thought perhaps we can return to the practice of greeting each other with this sacred wish. Peace go with you my brother. Peace go with you my sister. Perhaps it is for another generation--TEACH PEACE.

SPREADING TECHNOLOGY

2014-07-17T19:53:00.000-07:00

New Business Internet Radio with ProdMgmtTalk on BlogTalkRadio

Tech Liminal Oakland's primmer technology Hotspot and Salon turns five this month. Tech Liminal has dedicated itself during that time to putting technology in the hands of everyone. It provides support and mentoring and coaching across a broad variety of software and computer technology. It also hosts community meet ups that bring a diverse spectrum of people from Oakland and the surrounding areas to interact in a focused supportive environment.

This podcast allows you to get inside the head of founder and CEO Anca Mosoiu who has guided the development of Tech Liminal. She is a software programmer with years of experience who has developed mission critical web sites for a wide array of companies from mom and pop start up's to Fortune 100 companies. Widely respected and connected in the computer industry she has brought to bear her insights to empower people to succeed. She has developed a core group of like minded individuals who readily bring their skills to build solutions for the Bay Area community.
Interview starts at 6:10.

New Business Internet Radio with ProdMgmtTalk on BlogTalkRadio

WRITE READ LISTEN

2014-05-07T05:56:00.003-07:00

WRITE READ LISTEN

A series of workshops
Brought to you by:

WRITING RELATED RESOURCES

What is literary voice? We know it when we experience it. It's present in the language of our favorite authors and as writers, ourselves, we can cultivate that unique quality in our own particular styles of writing. We can accomplish this by practicing together. Come and hear for yourself. Occupy your place within our circle.

Write, Read, Listen Workshops in 2014

FIRST SATURDAYS
Joyce Gordon Gallery

LAST WEDNESDAYS
Tech Liminal

Wednesday, May 28th
6:15p-7:45p
TECH LIMINAL
555 12th St. #110
Oakland, CA
Cost: $20.00

Saturday, June 7th
2:00p-3:30p
JOYCE GORDON GALLERY
406 14th St.
Oakland, CA
Cost: $20.00

Encore: How Do Conservatives and Liberals See the World? | Moyers & Company | BillMoyers.com

2014-01-01T16:51:00.001-08:00

Journalist Bill Moyers has an inquisitive mind. He uses his rich history at the turning points of the last 60 years to enable us to see subtlety through the fog and nuance. He has also been a force of reason on PBS bringing a balance to the dialog of the day. He is unabashedly liberal but welcomes all comers to the table for rational discussion. He has not lost the cadence or flow of his southern roots his voice to me is a balm. Even when he is angry he maintains a focused stride to his point. Here he asks us to retreat from the bar fight to the bar-b-que. Measured words are more easily heard over the conviviality of food than the ever increasing intensity of inebriation. To that end this the first post of Decision List for 2014, we want to do the same. Get away from the partisan past and move toward a more inclusive future. Our masthead remains the same just remember the part about positive change.

The only way a candle flame can survive is to light others. Get Ready!

Encore: How Do Conservatives and Liberals See the World? | Moyers & Company | BillMoyers.com

Brene Brown––The Power of Vulnerability

2013-12-23T01:31:00.000-08:00

Brené Brown studies human connection -- our ability to empathize, belong, love. In a poignant, funny talk, she shares a deep insight from her research, one that sent her on a personal quest to know herself as well as to understand humanity. A talk to share. (Filmed atTEDxHouston.)

Review: THE ATLANTIC: Why I Wouldn't See 12 Years a Slave With a White Person

2013-11-30T07:32:00.000-08:00

Why I Wouldn't See 12 Years a Slave With a White Person

The story of Solomon Northup
by: Enuma Okoro

Blog Post by: Frederick Douglass Perry
© 2013 Frederick Douglass Perry, All Rights Reserved

I have been fidgeting about, wondering if this movie will just go away, should I see it or not. I have set and broken 3 movie dates, conflicts come up I say. Then a friend that I respect urged me and everyone he knew to see it. He is a historian who has worked for social change for over 40 years. Before I did though I saw this article and knew that my problem might rest here, in these carefully crafted words by some one that I didn't know but who had powerful arguments. Why I wouldn't See 12 Years a Slave With a White Person. I read:

"This is hard to admit. I will hurt the feelings of people I love. But isn’t confession the first step to being reconciled? I have good, healthy friendships with a range of people, but I could not think of one white person where I live with whom I would feel emotionally safe enough to see this particular movie about slavery. I did not want to have to entertain any of the likely responses from anyone who could not see themselves in the skin of the enslaved men and women on the screen. I had no desire to dissect the film politically and theologically, engage in well-meaning social commentary, marvel at the history conveyed through the movie, or grieve over what was done to black people."

In the dark of the theatre there will be white people. People who I probably don't know. Their feelings could not be like mine... I was named for Frederick Douglass... a name I was given many years ago... when it was not popular. A name that was not even known until the 60s. I realized with out having to dredge it up from my sub-conscious... This was different than The Butler, or The Help. This was my legacy, stories that I had grown up with.

My father used to travel a lot and when he did he he would lay out his presents, Almost always books, always about black folks.. Sometimes he would bring back posters, like the map of Africa he managed to carry 2000 miles without a crease. I loved it so much I immediately put it on the door to my bedroom. I stared at it so much the outlines of the map became a genie. That is how I have always thought about Africa–a proud genie. One such book that my brother and I shared until the hard cover fell off, was the "Pictorial History of the Negro in America." I thrilled to the stories about Northrop, Douglass, Henry Box Brown, Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman. These were my heroes, and as well as, yes Wendall Phillips, Garrison and John Brown. All of this as the fires of the Civil Rights movement enveloped first the South and then the North. When there was questions I had answer so much so that my 11th grade History teacher challenged me to give the class on the Civil War, which I did without plan or script–totally extemporaneously.

In the dark of the theatre she questioned, if I had brought a white friend, what if my trust had been betrayed? what if the hope had been violated. Ms Okoro's piece unfolded layer after layer, I found my self nodding with agreement.

Then it struck me, growing up in the movement, of mixed ethnic decent, I embraced the stories of my various cultural backgrounds. When you have trusted your well being to people of diverse backgrounds, what really can you say. The writer of The Atlantic piece brings up so many salient points, they are just not the ones who inform who I am. I have loved reading her POV in THE ATLANTIC before. Here she again makes a positive contribution to the literature on race.

I have only been in one place in my life where I easily passed the days without seeing any white people and that is when I lived in Washington D.C., and worked at Howard University. Unlike the writer I have moved through white society developing survival mechanisms for sure, perhaps feeling more contemptuous of those around me than they me. I have developed ways of navigating through the racial minefield objectively, I never forget the phenotypical construct rooted in a bifurcated view of race, yet I try to anticipate the subjective feelings of both black and white. Unlike our president, who sometimes seems to feel the need to be calm, never showing "rage," I have always been more than willing to engage folks on their own terms. The burden of constantly having to defend your own racial turf can be tedious yet usually necessary.

[spoiler alert] The controversy surrounding this film reminds me of the indignation some white people had when Mookie threw the trash can in the closing moments of "Do the Right Thing." Seeing a white man like Sal flailing about impotently holding a bat in the ashes of his life's work may have been one of the few times in film history where a White man had lost so miserably in a racial confrontation. Yet when his solution that the blacks should "get their own Pizzeria," was met with another solution that flowed out of the police murder of Radio Raheem.

Listening to the arguments following the film showed the deep division among Blacks and Whites. I sided with the majority of Black people that I knew, condensed rage of thousands of injustices forced Mookie to his final act. Oh did we hear about it for days.

Having been in South central in 1965 a few weeks after my Father died, watching the sky turn a brilliant orange/red I could only take one side of the argument. With all of the self destruction the Molotov cocktails and bullets, the troop carriers from Glendale (home of the Nazi Party), this was a simple argument–Mookie was the stifled rage of millions. Why did Sal get burned out? Why did the police kill Radio Raheem? Our racial identities precede us, privilege distributed by race. 12 Years a slave drops its bucked dead center in the well of our smoldering animosity and we know once again we will have to suffer the indignities of contradiction explanation and condescension over again. But we must, if we leave the intellectual battlefield we lose the fight. of those who came before us.

Mother Sister: Good morning.
Da Mayor: Is it a good morning?
Mother Sister: Yes, indeed. You almost got yourself killed last night.
Da Mayor: I've done that before. Where did you sleep?
Mother Sister: I didn't.
Da Mayor: Hope the block is still standing.
Mother Sister: We're still standing.

Da Mayor: Always do the right thing.
Mookie: That's it?
Da Mayor: That's it.
Mookie: I got it, I'm gone.

Do The Right Thing Quotes (IMDB) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097216/quotes

Films that polarize the already smoldering racial antipathies always bring with them a two edge sword, why must we continually explain ourselves, if we don't who will. It is the Trayvon verdict and "Fruitvale Station" converging on one weekend. Unfortunately we must challenge rather than escape the racial fear and the edgy moments of confrontation. The racial virus that makes us afraid to engage in dialog can tear us asunder in so many other ways. These are teaching moments and there we must stand our ground.

The world won't get no better
We gotta change it, yeah, just you and me. Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes.
http://youtu.be/-TDfPgd3Kyc

Dr. Walsh I Presume?

2013-10-01T18:44:00.000-07:00

I am a writer. I now have three novels about spirituality, love and desire, in the Tantra in the West series:

Sister Clare's Lover is about Matthew Shalgry and his friends. He is a Catholic priest who is asked to investigate tantric practices in San Francisco convents. He finds the practitioner-nuns. They trust him, and send him for initiation to a teacher of Buddhism, Bön and energy work. He falls very deeply in love with Sagesse Anandasagara at a mountain/coastal retreat. She is married, he is a priest. What shall they do?

Illuminating Four Cities follows Fr. Shalgry as he seeks the origins of his love for Sagesse Anandasagara. In visions 'in the four watches of the night' he finds how they have known each other in other possibilities. There is a China with airships, an India with a girl who communicates with f
orests, a French-speaking San Francisco, and a humane "thawed" USSR (with talking animals who have rights) in which he translates an ancient story with his love. In each they meet stormily, difficultly, deeply...

Philanthropic Horse is Haunted by Gravity came to me first as just its odd title. It became the story of a young Swabian/Bavarian horse who accepts a lama's invitation 'to help.' He climbs the clouds above Schwabenland carrying the dead to rebirth. When his partner the mare Bone dies, he ascends further to find the light and bring it down into this heavy heavy world.

All three are available in print at lulu.com, which has printers in the US, the EU, Australia and Canada.

http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/birrellwalsh

They are available as Kindle ebooks at amazon.com,

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_i_0?rh=k%3Abirrell+walsh%2Ci%3Adigital-text&keywords=birrell+walsh&ie=UTF8&qid=1333174207

and in every ebook format (including for Apple ipads and iphones) at smashwords.com.

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/birrellwalsh

I hope you enjoy them!

Many Americans Still Struggling to Feed Their Families | Perspectives, What Matters Today | BillMoyers.com

2013-09-05T22:48:00.001-07:00

Many Americans Still Struggling to Feed Their Families | Perspectives, What Matters Today | BillMoyers.com

In this land of plenty our hopes are being rolled under the treads of tanks relenlesly moving throughout the world. Our ability to flourish has been covered by the silence of market forces let loose with out intention.

DON'T ATTACK SYRIA.COM

2013-09-05T18:27:00.002-07:00

Petition: "The Administration is considering intervening in the Syrian civil war. We oppose this. There's no vital national security involved. We are not the world’s policeman, nor its judge and jury. Our own needs in America are great, and they come first. The death of civilians is always regrettable, and civil war is regrettable, but no Americans have been attacked, and no American allies have been attacked. The British Parliament understandably has voted not to join in any attack. Notably, defense contractor Raytheon's stock is up 20% in the last 60 days. It seems that nobody wants US intervention in Syria except the military-industrial complex. I oppose US military intervention in Syria. Join me."

TO SIGN THE PETITION CLICK HERE

AN INJURY TO ONE IS AN INJURY TO ALL

2013-09-01T15:04:00.000-07:00

The (The International Longshoremen and Warehouseman's Union (ILWU) celebrates the 75th year anniversary of the general strike that brought shipping to a standstill and gained a fairer hiring system and many other concessions from employers. It proved pivotal to labor management relationships in the maritime industry and throughout American industry in general.

Full disclosure when I was a young man I went from working in a couple of non-union warehouses in the Bay Area to working out of Local 6 on Hegeberger Dr. which you pass on the way to the Oakland Airport. As you turn off Hegenburger you pass a beautiful mosaic. In the fall and winter as the sun would slowly fade from the sky into pitch blackness we would drive through the darkness to catch a chance at working that day.

The steam from thermoses would float out over the room as some poured coffee, sometimes the faint hint of booze would waft past. The office was filled with men mostly huddled in chairs, playing cards, laughing. The room represented a hard won victory for the ILWU it represented the destruction of the old " shape up" system in which the Forman would come out on the docks or warehouses early in the morning and dole out jobs. This method was rife with favoritism and patronage. The ILWU hall was run by the union. In this hall members who had the most seniority got to pick the jobs they wanted. Finally people like me who were just getting started got a chance to prove ourselves

Warehouses like the converted lofts in Jack London Square were bustling before first light. All over the city men like me hoisted hauled and moved cargo. From the army Base at the foot of the Bridge This was back in the day before containers, when warehouses were lined with wooden palettes stacked with loose cargo. The air was full of the sound of the blaring horn of forklifts driven by the senior men. Folks like me scurried between the rows moving cargo to palettes that were whisked to the gaping mouths of semis. Suffice it to say the conditions in the union and non union shops were night and day. In high school I spent summers working in small non union warehouses in South Berkeley. The conditions in the small shops were relentless. By the end of the summer I had watched my friends slowly eliminated. Somewhere in mid summer we we joined by about 5 developmentally disabled kids. Try as they might they could not keep up. Slowly I saw one break down in a fit and literally turn in circles as the boxes fled past him.

My first job for the union was in a massive warehouse that distributed goods out to a chain of department stores. One day around noon an older worker s approached me and said:

"Put your cart up son,"
"But I'm not through, I said. "I haven't filled this list yet," we were given order to fill and we buzzed around the property picking up items which we would then deposit at their embarkation point.

"For the next half hour your through" he said "And if anyone says anything tell em to come see Joe, trust me they ain't gonna wanna do that. Now go on sit down in the break room and eat lunch like a gentleman brother."

"Yes sir" I said.

"I ain't no sir man I'm an enlisted man.... and I'm a lifer." I looked at his lapel and saw an enamel pin with ILWU Local 6 and the word Shop Steward.

Never seen the man since but he is a large reason I'm a union man to this day. Remember this - If you don't stand for something you'll fall for anything! Though I haven't seen the inside of a warehouse for years I still believe in the ILWU motto to my heart - "An Injury to One - Is an Injury to All !"

Please see this article.

Mark Leibovich on Glitz and Greed in Washington | Moyers & Company | BillMoyers.com

2013-08-29T01:59:00.001-07:00

Mark Leibovich on Glitz and Greed in Washington | Moyers & Company | BillMoyers.com

A RETROSPECTIVE: California Proposition 34

2012-11-05T03:00:00.001-08:00

YES ON CALIFORNIA PROP 34

The debate over the death penalty has raged for many years. My personal coming to terms with capital punishment has been long and tortuous. For most of my life I have been pro-death penalty. I have argued it's merits with many people through out my life. My reasoning was simple if someone had committed murder they forfeited their right to be among us. It was a kind of Old Testament rationale. An eye for an eye. I repeated this constantly as if this simple mantra described everything it swept up in it's wide embrace. That was all there was to say.

Leviticus 24: 17 "Whoever kills any man shall surely be put to death. 18 Whoever kills an animal shall make it good, animal for animal.19 ‘If a man causes disfigurement of his neighbor, as he has done, so shall it be done to him— 20 fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as he has caused disfigurement of a man, so shall it be done to him. 21 And whoever kills an animal shall restore it; but whoever kills a man shall be put to death. 22 You shall have the same law for the stranger and for one from your own country; for I am the Lord your God.”

This cold logic brought down on stone tablets described a world view that has been transformed. Many of the core stories depicted in the Bible which infuses our Judeo-Christian culture would be challenged today. The concept of death by stoning was called barbaric when it was applied to a muslim woman who had committed adultery. As metaphor it continues though. It encapsulates a method by which society can collectively punish, yet no one can be held personally responsible for the death of the murderer. In the west we no longer stone people to death. However, our instinct for collective reprisal continues seemingly unabated through the death penalty. If we all were to participate in this way by casting stones perhaps it would have a healing effect for victims as well as society. But wait read again another truth:

John 8:10 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Now early[a] in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. 3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst,4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught[b] in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses, in the law, commanded[c] us that such should be stoned.[d] But what do You say?”[e] 6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.[f]7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up[g] and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” 8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience,[h] went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her,[i]“Woman, where are those accusers of yours?[j] Has no one condemned you.

Then there was Tookie:

*Contra Costa Times reporter John Simerman, "They had some trouble with the second I.V., which was in the left arm… Williams, at one point, grimaced or looked almost out of frustration…at the difficulty there…He had his glasses on the whole time. He kept them on, and he kept looking…

Slide Show of Vigil for Stanley "Tookie" Williams

Click Here for Slide Show

With a look of frustration on his face, Williams angrily asked the technicians, "You guys doing that right?"

On a cold December night in 2005 I stood with a couple of hundred anti death penalty advocates. I shielded my emotions by documenting, taking pictures. My inner contradictions running high I used my camera to cover my my feelings. Mr. Stanley "Tookie" Williams former head of the notorius "Crips" gang in Los Angeles, at that moment waited on San Quintens Death Row for the final ritual to begin. As the minutes ticked by the crowd became increasingly more tense. Some waited for information to be relayed on their cell phones. Till the last there was some hope that this infamous gang leader would gain clemency for all of his work to compel young gang bangers to lay down their guns. He urged them not follow in his path.

For the most part cynisim followed in his wake, many believing that his new found redemption was a ruse At 12:35 A.M. on the morning of December 13, 2005 Stanley Williams was executed. Finally it was over, reportedly he had urged the executioner on*. The letahal ingections worked their way into his system and extinguished his heart. The crowd grew hushed as word spread. To the end he proclaimed his innocence for the crime he died for, though many questioned whether he had participated in or ordered the murder of others. Regardless the potential good he accomplished in the twenty four years in which his trial was on appeal sat unquestioned.

In the days before I had gotten into a protracted argument with a death penalty aadvocate. Our conversation ended when he had called Stanley Williams an animal. Words I had used before myself, but some how they semed lame and hollow. Raising ourselves above other human beings, debasing them to make a point seemed so much like the quasi moralistic words of the slave holding class both in the fields and in the pulpit. If we could by edict will people to be less than human, we would join with every petty tyrnt that walked the earth. If it is aas simple as denying another human being their humanity, then we proclaim ourselves innocent. If we cannot see humanity even in the most evil individual murder then we have no place to put he Hitlers, Pol Pots and all mass murderers.

So for the next six years I wrestled with the ghost of TOKOIE and every other inmate waiting on death row for their sentence to be carried out. Since Stanley Williams was executed I tend to read stories about executions in the news. Perhaps a morbid fascination fuels this or it might be that I need to probe the mind of the executioner and the executed. The legal wrangling, the families of the victims, the original crime, the exoneration based on DNA, all of these pull at me. At this point I know this. If every one who was convicted of a capital offense was forced to do life imprison with out the possibility of parole, that would indeed be death sentence albeit protracted. We would deprive the prisoner of a future outside of prison until they were dead. If you think prison is the good life, you haven't been in one. I have been in several as an observer. My fit convince rst '"remote" in my television career was at San Bruno Jail. I have also known several people who were in jail. All your false brevado could not convince me that being incarcerated in maximum security jail was a cake walk. Nor I might add, for the guilty should it be.

Most of all the economic statistics on the Death Penalty vs Life Without Possibility of Parole, the exoneration of innocent people through DNA evidence and the execution of people with IQ's below 75 have pushed me to reconsider. Where will the execution of our fellow human beings take us?

If you must have retribution locking someone up for the rest of their lives is punishment enough. It is a slow somber death. Giving the state the option of killing people to show how wrong killing is defies logic. Creating a cottage industry that spikes the cost of the ultimate punishment is ludicrous. It is cheaper to house an inmate for life than for to prosecute and appeal a death sentence trial.

So you say what if it was one of your friends or family? This is not an abstraction for me. If you have ever contemplated carrying out a death sentence yourself, you cannot ask that question. My question to you would you stone someone to death? Could you pull the trigger on the suspected murderer? Would you be certain you got the right person? Since the reinstitution of the death penalty 78% of executions took pace in the deep south, what do you suspect you would find in terms of racial makeup of the convicts?

So finally I must say that long held beliefs can evolve. My fellow California Voters I ask you to consider a yes vote on Prop 34. If you like I think it is time for us to get out of the business of killing people please VOTE YES. If you have considered the alternatives calmly away from the inflamed rhetoric and believe as I do that punishment comes in many forms please VOTE YES. If you have examined the facts and know what a tremendos economic drain capital punishment causes our society,

Please VOTE YES on 34.
FIND OUT THE FACTS BEFORE YOU RENDER YOUR DECISION

grief is private

but sometimes

the world needs to know

that all people

are the victims of

the swirl of violence

one beginning attaching

to the end of another

it preys upon us

like a striped tiger

slinking through the underbrush

camouflaged

stealing the silence

paws moving noiselessly swiftly

spreading weeping

rippling into the night

Poem Copyright

©2012 Frederick D. Perry, All Rights Reserved

THE MEANING OF THE FOURTH OF JULY FOR THE NEGRO

2012-07-04T14:59:00.001-07:00

The background of the FREDERICK DOUGLASS 4th of July speech

POLITICS IN THE PRESENT DAY
I came across this from Richard Trumka, former head of the United Mine Workers and now President of the AFofL-CIO.

Richard Trumka

FREEDOM ISN'T FREE

"I've been thinking about that iconic American saying, "Freedom Isn't Free."

"Usually it refers to the sacrifice of the men and women who serve in the military and their families -- and it's especially poignant now that Iraq- and Afghanistan-era vets are facing a 12.7 percent unemployment rate. (For a bright note, take a look at some of those vets rebuilding the World Trade Center after being trained in construction trades through an innovative union effort.)

"I do believe that freedom isn't free -- but today the corporate and political right wing is trying to cheapen this truly American value. They've been cynically using the word "freedom" to rally the American public against its own best interests."

# INDIVISIBLE

How Can America Win This Election?

Here is one from Howard Schulz CEO of Starbucks

On Independence Day, our country celebrates the promise of America.

It's a day to remember that the principles that bind us together vastly outweigh what keeps us apart. The freedom to dream and the opportunity to create a better life -- not just for ourselves, but for each other -- has always defined our great nation.

I am a product of that American Dream. As a kid who grew up in public housing, went on to get an education at a state university and build a business, I am grateful for what this country has made possible for me. In turn, at Starbucks, we have always tried our best to honor our responsibility to the communities we serve.

And on this Fourth of July, our communities need all of us.

Across the country, millions of Americans are out of work. Many more are working tirelessly yet still unable to adequately care for their families. Our veterans are not being welcomed home with the level of support they deserve. Meanwhile, in our nation's capital, our elected leaders are continuing to put ideology over real solutions. I love America, but we all know there is something wrong. The deficits this country must reconcile are much more than financial, and our inability to solve our own problems is sapping our national spirit. We are better than this. America's history has showed that we have accomplished extraordinary things when we act collectively, with courage, creativity, and generosity of spirit -- especially during trying times.

As we celebrate all that is great about our country, let's come together and amplify our voices.

BRED TO BULLY

2012-06-24T09:18:00.003-07:00

Daphne Muse is a writer, social commentator and poet.

By Daphne Muse

Children bred on Maury Povich, Jersey Shore, Moho’s videos, Gangsta, Bangsta behavior and endless public scandals are bound to behave just as these feral children did. While on a school bus, several middle school children goaded and mocked sixty-eight year old bus monitor Karen Klein. To her face, they talked about her weight, age and at one point, the verbal abuse escalated to one of the boys saying she didn't have any family: “They all killed themselves because they didn’t want to be near you." Klein's son took his own life 10 years ago. The country’s national psyche is deeply scarred and the armies of the “walking wounded” grow exponentially on a daily basis.

The over the top level of egregious disrespect being shown President Obama, women and the poor, on an hourly basis, continues to grow. Bullying has become a kind of drug people snort, inhale and off of which they make money and become celebrities. On a daily basis, you can witness ministers, reality stars and “baby mommas” on steroid drama bully from their various pulpits. You really can have vigorous and civil disagreements without stooping to the kind of bullying conducted by people from all levels of society. It’s as though these people get up every morning and drink a gallon of HaterAid to fuel their lives. But Klein reacted by not taking the bait.

It’s time to take it Old School and provide stronger foundations giving our children and young people strong moral compasses. You better believe me, I would insist upon a meeting with the parents, teachers and the students themselves to address this matter in serious terms and request a series of interventions, including a screening of the film “Bullying” for the school administrators, teachers, bus driver, parents and students. Then I would request community service related to some kind of project focusing on bullying: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/09/gerry-orz-day-of-silence-anti-bullying_n_1412501.html and the Lee Hirsch film “Bully.” If those involved do not agree, then lawyer up and blow them out of the water: legally. Along with an outpouring of support, apologies from some of the parents and their children, people have donated more than $500,000.00 to what was initially a vacation fund set up in her name.

So many of children are being bred and coded into this unseemly and violent behavior. Parents better believe that this behavior will be visited upon them as well. It will inform and impact how their children navigate their professional, social and their own lives as parents. I firmly believe parenting classes should be offered up in public schools, along with sex education; it is common sense, solid steps towards better family planning and good public policy.

©Daphne Muse

Oakland, CA 2012

Daphne Muse is a writer, social commentator and poet. You can read her blogs at www.daphnemuse.blogspot.com and reach her by email.

--
Go well,

Daphne Muse
Founder & Chief Visionary Officer
Grandmothers Going Global
Harnessing our social capital, leadership and creative vision worldwide
www.grandmothersgoingglobal.com
510 967-9463

CARING ACROSS GENERATIONS

2012-06-18T00:31:00.001-07:00

This week in the "Nation" Laura Flanders wrote a story about, Caring Across Generations. This coalition works with home care workers and those they serve to meet the needs of the burgeoning elderly population in the US.

"The economic impact of the baby boomers cannot be ignored. In the United States alone, over 50% of the discretionary spending power rests with the baby boomers and they are responsible for over half of all consumer spending. In the area of health care, baby boomers buy 61% of over the counter medications and an astonishing 77% of all prescription drugs."

Source: BoomersWeb.net

"In a few respects, boomers turning 65 have age-related concerns similar to their parents when they were 65. Like their parents, they want to age in place, and have found that aging often presents chronic health conditions and financial responsibilities that influence how they will live the last third of life. But in one very important respect, boomers turning 65 are different from their parents — the baby boom generation has redefined what retirement means. When their parents entered retirement, it was considered a time that might feature travel, relaxation and enjoyment but little work outside of an avocation. Boomers overall and many of those turning 65 consider work to be part of retirement, and a significant percentage say that they never will consider themselves retired"

Source: AARP

PAIN

2012-06-16T17:30:00.000-07:00

style="text-align: left;"> One thing we all have in common is the perception of pain. From scraping your knee as a child to the onset of arthritis as an adult, we all experience pain. Many times that pain takes on a life of it's own from the initial acute pain to an on going relationship with chronic pain, there is pain and then there is your pain. The deceptively simple pain scales that doctors and other medical professionals use that describes pain on a scale of 1-10 is of course totally subjective. If anything it describes how intense the pain is at this moment. When asked how your pain was yesterday or last week, one is in the realm of the vagaries of memory. Many practioners are working on ways to understand pain objectively. Meet Dr. Elliot Krane (BIO)

Please see also:

VIDEOS:

Chronic Pain

Discovery Channel: Human Body ~

Pushing The Limits

ARTICLES:

When You See Your Doctor

What Is Pain

Scientists Find a New Way to Measure Pain

GREATWORK--dream flow

2012-03-21T09:36:00.000-07:00

Greatwork dream flow by frederick douglass perry | Make Your Own Book

Coming Soon: Another Book By GREATWORK PRODUCTIONS

Look for a brand new book in summer 2012 from an employee show at San Francisco Public Media entitled "Evidence of Light".

THE LATEST BOOK FROM GREATWORK PRODUCTIONS

2012-02-26T23:44:00.001-08:00

SEEING READ by Frederick Douglass Perry | Make Your Own Book

SEE ALSO: CONTINUATION OF A POEM TO MYSELF

For your consideration, my latest book self published on Blurb.com. Above are a few sample pages to give you an idea of the content of the book. Amid the photos of these beautiful flowers I have woven some poetry. There are several options for purchase, an electronic book format, soft cover and two hard cover versions. If you like what you see and read here take a trip over to my store and check out what else I have to offer. Poetry and Pictures yeah lots more!

RED TAILS

2012-01-19T20:39:00.000-08:00

The new movie, RED TAILS, about the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II, premieres this weekend. Executive Producer, George Lucas, has put his heart, soul and lots of his own money into bringing this important story to the screen. As an independent filmmaker working on the fringes of Hollywood, Lucas has brought us a variety of films. Time and again, he has proven himself as a master craftsmen with a unique artistic voice that is truly American. His characters are distinctly drawn. In the case of RED TAILS, he depicts black men inhabiting a world of pre-Civil Rights victories, distinguishing themselves in the major battle of their time--World War II.

Director Anthony Hemingway brings a cool hand and a brilliant understanding of the dynamics between black men. He portrays black men with a range of emotions. He elicited strong performances from the actors with deft confidence and assurance. His impressive handeling of the of the fight sequences in conjunction with the gnomes at Industrial Light & Magic was outstanding. The realistic battle clips in which the Red Tails showed off their aerial acrobatic skills caused one woman in the audience where we screened the film to say: "I almost tore a hole in my hand during the combat, I was so nervous."

Major General Lucius, Ret

RED TAILS SITE
TUSKEGEE AIRMEN SITE